Invalid lifting means



Jan. 30, 1951 E D, BEDARD 2,539,566

INVALID LIFTING MEANS Filed Jan. 20, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. mflizawo Jan. 30, 1951 E. D. BEDARD 2,539,566

INVALID LIFTING MEANS Filed Jan. 20, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR51445550450 gear I6 for rotating the gear I6 and shaft I5.

Patented Jan. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INVALID LIFTING MEANSEva D. Bedard, Springfield, Mass. I Application January 20, 1948, SerialN0. 3,215

' 1 Claim.' (01. 5-85) I This invention relates to invalid liftingmeans, and has for one of its objects the production of afsimple andeificient means for facilitating the lifting of an invalid to and from abed with a maximum amount of ease and a minimum amount of inconvenienceto the invalid or patient.

, A further object of this invention is the production' of a simple andefiicientweight box which is carried by the main supporting shaft to actas a counterbalance for the weight of the patient or invalid carried onthe stretcher.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear throughoutthe following specification and claim.

In the drawings'- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the lifting deviceand bed assembly;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the lifting device with the bedremoved;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the standards and weight boxsupported thereby;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the weight box and a portion ofthe supporting standard therefor.

By referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the invalid-liftingmeans comprises a pair of spaced vertical standards I and I I. Eachstandard is supported upon a suitable base I2 having suitable casters I3to facilitate moving of the device. The standards III and II are bracednear the bottom by an intermediate bottom brace rail I4. Astretcher-supporting shaft I5 passes transversely through the upper endsof the standards I0 and I I, these upper ends constituting journals forthe shaft I5. An enlarged gear I6 is secured near one end of the shaftI5 adjacent the standard I9 and a driving pinion I'I meshes with the Asuitable operating crank I8 is secured to the gear I! to drive thisgear. A removable stop pin 29 is carried by the standard I9 and engagesthe crank I8 to prevent the crank I8 from swinging in one direction andto hold the stretcher i 9 hereinafter described, in a selected elevatedposition. The bottom of the standard It which supports the gears I5 andI I and the adjoining end of the rail it are braced by an inclined braceM, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. A similar inclined brace 2I is locatedat the opposite end, as shown in Figure 2.

A pair of stretcher-suspending straps 23 and 24 are anchored at one endto the shaft I5, as shown in Figural-g1 A buckle 25 of aconventionaltype is carriedf-by; each strap 22 and 2;; intermediate the endsthereof. The stretcher I9 preferably is formed of heavy cotton cloth, orother suitable flexible material and carries a pair of spaced stretcherpoles 26 and.2I which pass through suitable casings which are formed.bystitchin'g the stretcher fabric along the side edges of the stretcherin the conventional manner.

Spreader boards 28 are fitted over the opposite ends of the poles 26 and21 to hold the poles in spaced relation and to provide a stretcher of. a

desired width to support the patient or invalid placed thereon. Thestretcher I9 is provided with a longitudinal slit 29 to-facilitate theuse of by coiling the straps 23 and 24 around the shaft; I5 as the shaftI5 is rotated through the operation of .the crank I8. The stretcher I9may be lowered by operating the crank I8 in the opposite d rection tounwind the straps. The removable pin 2! may be placed in a properposition to hold the crank a ainst swinging movement.

The st etcher I9 is ada ted to be lowered upon the bed B and the poles26 and 21 are pulled out from the casing 30 to permit the stretcher I9to lie flat upon the bed B. The terminals of the straps 23 and 24 may bedetachably fastened around the standards I0 and II in any desired mannerto provide loops 3| to hold the straps out of the way of the patient orattendant.

To provide a suitable counterbalance for the weight of the patient orinvalid upon the stretcher I9, while raising and lowering the stretcher,there is provided a novel weight box 32. This box 32 comprises a casinghaving a vertical notch 33 formed upon the rear face thereof in whichthe standard II snugly fits. This box 32 is slidable vertically upon thestandard II and is held against removal from the standard II by means ofthe straps or plates 34 which span the notch 33 and extend across therear face 35 of the standard-I I. suspending straps 35 are anchored attheir upper ends, as at 31, to the outer end 38 of theshaft I 5, and areadapted to be coiled about the shaft I5, as this shaft is rotated in onedirection.

The lower ends 39 are clamped to the top of the box 32. by means of acleat 49. Suitable bracing bolts '5! pass through the cleat II] and thetop and bottom of the box 32, to brace the bottom of the; box and toassist in supporting the removable weight bars 42 which bars are adaptedto be placed in the box 32. Any desired number of bars may be placed inthe box 32 depending upon the weight which is to be carried by thestretcher. The box 32 is provided with a front door 43 which may beopened and closed for the purpose of inserting or removing the weights42. This weight box 32 will greatly facilitate the raising and loweringof the stretcher l9 sincethe box will freely slide up and down upon thestand ard H, as the crank I8 is operated, and this box 32 willconstitute a counterbalance for the stretcher and its occupant in theoperation of the device.

An invalid or patient may be easily liftedv to and from the bed B bymeans of the stretcher I9 and the operating mechanism above described.The stretcher I9 is placed upon the bed B under the patient and thepoles 2B and 21 are placed in the casings 30. The spreader boards ormembers 28 are placed over the ends of the poles 26 and 21. and thestraps 23: and Mare secured as shown in Figure 2. The crank I8 isoperated to raise the stretcher l9 and the pin 20 is properly placedagainst the crank l8 to hold the stretcher IS in a set raised position.The bed B may be lifted away from the lifting device and the stretcherl9 may be manuallylifted and detached from the lifting device toremove'the occupant to a desired location. 7

, The patient or invalid may be placedupon the bed merely by reversingthe operation after the bed 3' is placed in the position shown in Figure1, and the stretcher I9 is lowered upon the bed B. After the patient orinvalid is placed" upon the bed B, the bed may be lifted and removedaway from the lifting device until it is again needed. Consequently, itis not necessary that the lifting device remain over the bed Bwhile-'the'bed is being used, since the bed is entirely separate fromthe lifting device.

' Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

; An invalid lifting means of the class. described comprising aplurality of standards, a shaft journaled upon and extending between thestandards, a stretcher, flexible means secured at one end to the shaftand being adapted to be wound upon said shaft as the shaft is rotated,means for rotating said shaft, the flexible means detachably engagingthe stretcher for raising and lowering the stretcher as the shaft isrotated in a selected direction, means for locking the shaft againstrotation to hold the stretcher in a selected elevated position, acounterbalance weight, weight-suspending flexible means suspending saidweight from said shaft, said counterbalance weight comprising a hollowbox, removable weight members carried within said box, said box having avertical notch in its inner side nearest the stretcher, one of saidstandards being substantially square in cross-section and fittingvertion relative to the last mentioned standard, and.

anchoring means engaging the weight-suspending flexible means andextending through the bottom of said box.

EVA D. BEDARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references areof record. in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 331,608 Bishop Dec. 1, 1885'852,280 Mason Apr. 30, 190.? 920,922 Csuthy May 11, 1909 9182,807 FravelJan. 31, 1911

